


Afterburn

by SuzieCutie



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Borderlands Secret Santa 2017, Brick comes and tries to help in his own way, Everyone is celebrating Jack's death but Mordecai isn't feeling it, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers for the ending of Borderlands 2, They talk about good times and everything is alright
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 08:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13119846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuzieCutie/pseuds/SuzieCutie
Summary: “You fallin’ asleep on me, Mordy?”“I don’t get blackout drunk that quickly, jackass.”





	Afterburn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ricochetaway](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ricochetaway).



> For the 2017 Borderlands Secret Santa!  
> I'm glad to have gotten to participate! This was really fun! Happy Holidays!
> 
> ###  [❄️ RECOMMENDED LISTENING ❄️](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7t2I7ljnzo)

It never got any easier, climbing up onto that damn roof. He’d done it so many times that you’d think he’d be used to it by now. Pulling himself up by one of the gutters, he heaved a grunt of effort from somewhere deep in his chest. Putting too much weight on one of his arms was a bad idea in his state, but he was determined to get some peace and quiet. Lilith would have his ass if she found out he was doing this.

Handsome Jack was dead.

The Warrior was dead.

Everyone was celebrating the downfall of Hyperion’s strangling grip on this planet, and the sounds of raucous laughter and drunken joy was echoing throughout the city. Music blared from Moxxi’s bar, and people were dancing with loved ones in the streets and alleyways. Never before had Sanctuary been this lively, and the positive energy emanating off the flying rock was infectious.

Despite this though, Mordecai couldn’t get into it.

The tiles of the roof clattered obnoxiously under his weight as he finally hoisted himself up. The Headquarters was one of the tallest buildings in the city, and it was easy for him to get away from the hustle and bustle when he was way up here. The wind howled around him as he came to sit down with his little bottle of rakkale, casting his gaze over the vast mountains of the Highlands. From way up here, it almost looked peaceful.

Part of him felt bad. He knew that he should be down there, celebrating with the Vault Hunters. He should be allowing himself this brief joy, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. They’d won a long drawn out war, but they’d lost a lot in the process, and this was his first chance to reflect on all of that.

“Man, what a shit show.” He sighed, untwisting the cap on the bottle and bringing it to his lips.

It was at times like this where he’d think back on why he came to Pandora in the first place; ‘To get back everything this Universe owed him’. It seemed so stupid and superficial, now, in the face of everything. He’d lost not one but two of the best friends he’d ever had to this god forsaken planet. Two people he could never get back. The thought of it had been rotting in his stomach for awhile now. He thought that revenge would fix that, but he was wrong.

He sat out there for some time, watching the clouds and taking sparse sips from his bottle. His mind drifted from problem to problem, which only served to make him more frustrated with his current situation. But before things could really get the best of him, he heard the door to the balcony below him open up.

“Who’s there? I’m tryin’ to drink in peace.” 

“It’s me, Mordy. I’m comin’ up there.” 

Ah.

Brick.

The sounds of him clamoring to get up onto the roof with him were deafening compared to how relatively quiet it had been before. Brick had been beaten up just as bad as Mordecai had, if not worse, but it didn’t seem to hinder him any. Pulling himself up by the gutter, he came to kneel next to the other, catching his breath before sitting down. If it had been anyone else, Mordecai might’ve complained, but this was better than Lilith coming and chewing him out.

“How’d you know I was up here?” He asked after awhile, thumbing the top of the bottle in his hand.

“I seen you climbing up from the center of town. Figured I should… come check on you or somethin’.” 

“You really didn’t need to do that.”

“Yes I did.”

Combative as always, it seemed. Mordecai could only nod and turn his head away, shifting his focus onto the rooftops around them. He wasn’t always the best at showing it, but, Brick cared a lot about the people close to him. It was almost concerning how defensive he got, but it made a little part of him feel better.

“Everyone was wondering where you were at the bar, yanno.” Brick sounded unusually pensive, “You’re missing out on a lot of fun.”

“Sorry, I’m not exactly feeling like celebrating right now.” 

An awkward silence spread between the two of them, thick and palpable like a blanket. Neither of them were too good at communicating their feelings, especially negative or serious ones. You’d think that after years of knowing each other, it would’ve gotten easier to talk one on one.

“Wanna tell me why?” Brick broke the silence, thank god.

“I just needed to think, that’s all.” Way to oversimplify.

“Needed to think? Mordecai, you think way too damn much. It’s not good for you.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that,” He shrugged, “I’m just trying to figure out everything that’s happened over the past few weeks. It’s… It doesn’t feel real.”

He had a point. Everything had happened so quickly that it felt like it was a half drunken hallucination they collectively had in some dark hole in the wall. No one had time to think, or properly react, and now it was time to finally rip that bandage off. Part of him figured that all of them would’ve been fine just not talking about it, but he wasn’t sure he could handle that. He didn’t have much room in him for more bottled up emotions.

“You’re right about that, at least…” Brick looked down at his hands in his lap, face scrunched up in a look, “Are you uh… Are you thinking about him?”

“Who, Roland? Of course I am.” The hurt in Mordecai’s voice was still fresh, “I’m thinking about him, and Blood. Yanno, this planet is real good at taking things away from you when you least expect it.” 

Night had long since started to fall, and the shine of Elpis’s scar was peeking through the clouds. With the wind only getting colder, and the dark chilling the air, this probably wasn’t the best place for the two of them to have a heart to heart. 

“You’re right about that too. But…” Brick trailed off, going and nudging Mordecai so he’d turn his attention to him, “I keep telling myself that it could be worse. I mean, you’ve still got Lil, and you’ve still got me.”

Mordecai stared at him for awhile, still thumbing the lip of his bottle. He was right. 

He was right, and he never really thought about it. Sure, he’d lost two people, but he could’ve lost four, or eight, or ten. It was important to count your blessings, especially on Pandora, and sometimes he forgot to do that. Well, more than sometimes. A lot more than sometimes.

“Yeah… Yeah, I do.” 

He couldn’t fight the smile creeping up on his face. Especially, when Brick went and put his arm around his shoulder. He absolutely dwarfed him, but that was okay. It was another thing about him that made him feel safe. Another thing Brick did to help ground him sometimes.

Things around Sanctuary weren’t going to get any easier. They would all have to accept bigger responsibilities, and pull more weight. Things weren’t going to be the same anymore but… Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Maybe, with time, things would sort themselves out. That little flicker of hope sprang up in the back of Mordecai’s mind, and made him relax. Shoulders slumped, he leaned himself against Brick’s side.

“You fallin’ asleep on me, Mordy?” 

“I don’t get blackout drunk that quickly, jackass.”

Their laugh mixed together as they both took comfort in each other’s presence on that cold rooftop. Celebrations down below were still in full swing, and no doubt were they missing out on some fun conversations, but that was alright. For now, they’d just hide away on the roof and babble about good things from the past back and fourth. Things about that bus ride, and Fyrestone, and New Haven. Fond and warm memories that didn’t hurt to mull over.

They’d been throwing around old stories for awhile, smiles plastering themselves on their faces. This was the most fun they’d had in a long, long time.

“Oh, shit, Mordy-- Do you remember how much of a hardass Roland was when we first met him?” 

“God, of course I do. I didn’t think he’d ever fucking loosen up. Do you remember how mad he’d get when we’d make fun of all of his military jargon?”

“I thought he was going to explode on us one of those times. He might’ve killed your ass back then if he had the chance.” 

“And not yours?” His laugh fringed his tone.

“Eh, I could’ve took him.” 

The two of them had always gotten along well. Even during the first few days in Fyrestone, they were causing trouble and laughing on each other. It took awhile for Lilith and Roland to catch on, and warm up to them, but by the end of their little adventure five years ago, they were a family. And on Pandora, having a family and people you’re close to, people who would die for you, was something special. But what him and Brick had was different than that. It was more faceted.

Mordecai never really questioned his relationship with Brick. It was an unspoken thing, really. It was something little, and private that didn’t need to be broadcast everywhere. Things got severed when Brick was kicked out awhile back, but he didn’t seem to have a problem with picking up right where they left off once he was invited back. Mordecai liked that. He liked it a lot.

Time passed, and the night got colder, and the music below got quieter. The clouds that had overcast during the day cleared, revealing the stars and aurora up above. They’d both been quiet for awhile, and Mordecai had long since closed up his bottle of rakkale. It was the first time either of them had just sat and watched the lights dance in the sky in years, and it felt strangely right. Felt like they were back in New Haven again.

Eventually, though, Mordecai decided there was something else on his mind, so he spoke up.

“Brick, yanno I uh… I still haven’t thanked you for what you did.”

“What do you mean?” He turned and looked down at him, still nestled up close to his side.

“Saving my ass from that barge.”

“Oh, that…” 

The both of them had been beat up pretty badly from that encounter. Brick saved his life, and without him, he would’ve burned to death in Hero’s Pass. It was a sobering thought, but the fact that he came for him meant a lot to him. More so than he could ever really properly express.

“You don’t need to thank me for saving you. It’s not like I was going to leave you to die or something.”

“Still, we’re both going to be in bandages because of that. You deserve some recognition.”

“I guess you’re right.” He turned his head to look back up at the stars, hugging Mordecai tighter to his side.

Silence fell over them both again as they started to think about what had happened exactly in Hero’s Pass. How close they came to losing each other. How close they came to losing Lilith. It was a blurry mess still, and the wounds would hurt for a long time after but… It was said and done. The three of them were still alive, and if they could survive almost certain death, they could survive anything.

“Hey, Mordecai… Can I tell you something?” Brick spoke up, thumbing the other’s shoulder.

“Go ahead.” Idly, he leaned into his touch.

“I love you.”

Mordecai smiled, turning his head against his side.

“I love you too.”

Once again, their laughs melted together. The burns they’d gotten that day would sting for awhile, and the loss of two loved ones would sting for even longer, but that was fine. So long as they had the other to lean on.

**Author's Note:**

> ### ❄️ I hope you enjoyed reading! Comments are appreciated and encouraged! ❄️


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